EVANS OF THE EARTH-GUARD By Edmond Hamilton Read online

  the common scum of space-pirates that are

  inside one of the lunar cities.”

  always bobbing up, but when it comes to

  nabbing the Hawk someone else wants the

  IN a lunar city?” Evans repeated. “Whoever

  glory.”

  got that idea?”

  “The glory’s been there for the Earth-

  Seaworth shook his head. “It seemed

  Guard to take for some time,” retorted

  crazy to me at first too, but there were rumors

  Seaworth acidly. “I haven’t seen it doing it,

  that officials in one of the lunar cities were

  though.”

  Air Wonder Stories

  6

  Hartley’s face went dull red, and crowded converging space-lanes toward the Evans intervened in time. “No use scrapping

  huge New York inter-stellar station. And

  over it,” he told them. “Anything that when the great Earth-Guard ship shot down Seaworth finds out will help us, and I for one

  into the funnel-shaped landing-framework and

  don’t give a continental who catches the Hawk

  came to a halt with all its nose-tubes firing,

  so long as he’s caught. Every time I go into a

  Seaworth emerged from it with its first

  teletheater nowadays, all I hear is a lot of

  officers.

  musty old cracks about the Hawk and the

  Earth-Guard, and I don’t mind telling you I’m

  BRIEFLY he assured himself once more that

  getting tired of it.”

  Evans was willing for him to make the trip

  Seaworth laughed. “Well, it was nearly

  back out to the moon in the Earth-Guard craft

  a case of the catcher caught with me this time.

  in the following week, and he also made

  I suppose I don’t need to tell you that I’d

  certain that his own little rocket could remain

  rather make the rest of the trip with you?”

  attached to the greater craft and be refueled

  Evans nodded. “Of course. Though as

  with it. Then he hastened away in the crowds

  a matter of fact the Hawk’s probably ten zones

  that poured here and there across and around

  off by now. That’s always his way—he the great rocket-station.

  swoops and strikes and flashes off before

  Evans stood still for a few moments

  anyone can get hands on him.”

  gazing around him, bewildered a little as he

  “Yes,” said Seaworth, his eyes invariably was by the sudden transition from troubled, “but he happens to want me devilish

  the silence and gloom of the great void to this

  bad, you see. I’ll admit I’m not going to have

  brilliant and hurried scene. Across the great

  much taste for the trip back to the moon—I

  station at its departure-side a huge cargo-

  wouldn’t put it past him to hold up the biggest

  rocket was taking off, its firing-tubes

  passenger-ship in space if he knew I was deafening the ears as it thundered up into the traveling on it.”

  sunlight and vanished. Already a great, sleek

  “I wouldn’t myself,” Evans said. “But

  passenger-craft was being slid into the

  we’re heading back next week after our relief-

  ascension-framework just vacated, and as its

  period. Why not go back with us?”

  warning-bell rang out, the last belated

  Seaworth’s face cleared. “Thanks a lot,

  passengers were hurrying toward it with their

  really, old man. It’s a fact I’ve been worried

  porters and luggage.

  about this trip back, for if I get what I’m after

  There remained to Evans the

  on earth, it means that when I get back to the

  disagreeable task for which he had been

  moon we can find the Hawk’s base and make

  bracing himself during the last hours of the

  a trap of it to catch him when he comes in.

  trip—that of informing crusty old Commander

  And I want to see him put away before I check

  Cain of his encounter with the Hawk. When

  out—it’s got to be something of a personal

  he had been ushered into the office of the

  duel between us.”

  white-haired and white-mustached old space-

  In the next half-score of hours in veteran who was head of the Earth-Guard, which they hurtled on toward earth, Evans

  Evans made his brief report with the other’s

  saw that Seaworth was indeed getting more

  stare piercing him to the marrow.

  and more impatient and eager as the great disk

  When he had finished, the

  grew large before them. He fretted at the delay

  Commander, as he had expected, delivered

  as they moved in through earth’s atmosphere

  himself of a furious blast of profanity.

  at slackening speed, and down through the

  He finally became articulate. “Evans,

  Evans of the Earth-Guard

  7

  you must realize what a situation the Earth-

  Guard rocket—good-bye! No matter what we

  Guard is in. You know and I know that the

  did after that, the Guard would never be able

  Hawk must have something new on his ship,

  to live it down!”

  whether a new fuel or a new firing-tube, that

  gives his ship a speed beyond anything else in

  EVANS was impressed. “I’ll keep a close

  space. You know as well as I do, too, that the

  watch for him going back, sir,” he promised.

  Hawk is really the one outstanding space-

  The Commander’s warning rang in

  pirate left and that in the last decades we’ve

  Evans’ ears all the week that followed, and he

  cleared up the others one by one.

  was forced during that week to admit that his

  “But the public doesn’t see it that way!

  superior’s view of the situation was correct.

  The public,” and the Commander smote his

  The Earth-Guard was suffering a distinct loss

  desk furiously, “the public sees only this one

  of prestige. It seemed to Evans that wherever

  pirate, the Hawk. They see him and his crew

  he went his blue Earth-Guard uniform, once

  defying the whole five hundred ships of the

  an envied garb, was greeted with titters and

  Earth-Guard. That’s all the blankety blank derisive comments that made his ears burn.

  public sees, and as a result the Earth-Guard’s

  The newspapers and teletheaters were

  getting to be a joke!”

  exploiting the situation to the utmost. If Evans

  “But sir!” Evans managed to say, “we

  watched a troupe of dancers he was met with

  have no hope of getting the Hawk so long as

  the spectacle of a nimble black-garbed figure,

  he has his bases for refueling and resting. We

  representing the Hawk, eluding with ease the

  must get his lunar base before we can get him,

  slowly-moving blue-garbed figures symbolic

  and that’s why I think this Seaworth may win

  of the Earth-Guard. If he was introduced to

  for us yet.”

  anyone by a joking friend it was always with a

  “Seaworth—” The Commander jesting reference to his imminent capture of frowned thoughtfully.
“It may be—it may be.

  the Hawk. Small boys called after him that the

  I didn’t know that the International Hawk was coming, and then delightedly ran Commission had put secret agents after the

  away.

  Hawk, but it may prove useful at that. You say

  The Hawk, indeed, was coming to

  Seaworth’s going back with you next week?”

  have far more of the public sympathy than the

  “Yes, he thinks the Hawk is after him

  Earth-Guard. It was true that he held up

  in dead earnest, and that if he takes a defenseless passenger-craft between earth and passenger-rocket the Hawk will hold it up to

  moon, forcing them under the menace of his

  get him.”

  guns to cast loose for him in their life-rockets

  “It wouldn’t be beyond him,” the whatever of value they carried. All knew that Commander warned. “But we’ve another he was an outlaw of the void, and would meet thing to think of, too, Evans. If the Hawk

  swift death at the hands of a firing-squad were

  wants this man Seaworth badly enough, he

  he captured.

  may not even stick at holding up an Earth-

  But if he was a space-pirate, he was

  Guard ship to get him! I see you smile—you

  not one like the earlier space-buccaneers

  think it is incredible that even the Hawk whose atrocities had roused a fury that had should ever try taking an Earth-Guard—but

  swept them out of existence. He was, if

  remember that he has a reputation for doing

  anything, a gentleman-corsair of the void, and

  things no pirate ever dared do before, and that

  though few had ever looked on his face, it was

  in this case he has the best reason in the world

  rumored that he was exceptionally handsome.

  for trying it. And if he ever took an Earth-

  It was small wonder that by the end of his

  Air Wonder Stories

  8

  week of relief Evans’ nerves were ragged and

  The secret agent’s eyes were shining

  he was longing for the peacefulness of the

  as he strode across the station to them. When

  space patrol.

  he reached Evans and the commander he

  When on the last day of their relief he

  tapped the black leather case he carried.

  found Calden and Hartley at the New York

  “Got it!” he exclaimed. “My tip was a

  station, inspecting the great Earth-Guard straight one and I’ve got the dope from rocket, preparatory to its start back out into

  beginning to end. You’re ready to go?”

  space, he found their nerves as raw on the

  Evans nodded, and Commander Cain

  subject as his own. They too had felt the

  shook hands with him and with Seaworth, as

  whips of the public laughter.

  he turned away.

  “You know,” growled Hartley as he

  “Good luck to the both of you,” he told

  ran a practiced eye over the looming rocket’s

  them, “and if you’ve really got anything that

  stern firing-tubes, “I’m just about praying that

  will enable you to nab the Hawk, I’ll resign

  we meet up with the Hawk this trip. I’m not

  cheerfully on the day he’s taken and you can

  thin-skinned— but when my little daughter

  shot dice between you for my job!”

  begins to ask daddy why he doesn’t catch the

  Evans and Seaworth laughed together

  Hawk, I’m getting to the busting point!”

  as the commander strode away. “The old

  man’s nutty about the Hawk these days,”

  EVANS and Calden laughed despite Evans commented.

  themselves. “Well, you may get your wish,

  “Well, if I can get back to the moon

  Hartley,” Evans told him. “Remember, with the information I have here,” the other Seaworth will be with us, and the Hawk wants

  said, “it means the end for Mr. Hawk. I found

  him bad.”

  the man I was hunting for—he’d been one of

  Hartley looked at him blankly. “You

  the Hawk’s crew and had left him on account

  don’t mean that he’d ever try holding us up?

  of some squabble over the division of loot. He

  Us? An Earth-Guard rocket?”

  was pretty much afraid of his old chief still—I

  Evans shrugged. “It’s Commander guess the Hawk’s got a deadly record as Cain’s idea, not mine. Here he comes now, to

  regards traitors—but he gave me all I wanted

  see us off. Evidently going to give us a final

  for a price. I have the exact location of the

  warning.”

  Hawk’s base in one of the lunar cities, the

  And that proved in fact to be the names of the officials who’ve been harboring white-haired Commander’s purpose when he

  him and selling him fuel—all that we need.”

  reached them through the throngs of hurrying

  “Once back on the moon we can set a

  mechanics around the giant ship. He drew

  trap there that will spring on the Hawk the

  Evans aside from the others.

  first time he comes into his base. There’s only

  “Don’t forget what I told you, Evans,”

  one queer thing about it all, and that is that the

  he warned. “Keep double-watches in the man who told me all this disappeared on the lookout-cells at all times, and if the Hawk

  very next day. No one has the slightest idea

  does appear, send out a general radiophone

  what became of him, though some of the

  alarm before you engage. Remember, it isn’t a

  officials I talked with thought he’d merely

  question of personal glory, but a matter of

  decamped with the price of his information. I

  catching him.”

  don’t know, though—it may have been

  “I’ll remember,” Evans promised. “I

  something else.”

  guess we’re set to go—here comes Seaworth

  “The Hawk?” Evans questioned, and

  now.”

  the other slowly nodded.

  Evans of the Earth-Guard

  9

  “I’m afraid so—his way with traitors is

  absorbing seats, the four men looked down

  short and sweet. It only worries me because if

  over the station and its swarming throngs, a

  it was he, then he knows what I’ve learned

  busy scene in the morning sunlight.

  and knows I’m taking back that information

  Just beside the ascension-framework rose the

  with me.”

  starter’s tower, from which, at intervals, the

  streams of ships were allowed to start out into

  EVANS frowned. “That would make him the various space-lanes. Lights were flashing desperate, all right. The Commander has an

  and changing color on it each moment as the

  idea that he might even attack our rocket to

  minute for the departure of the Earth-Guard

  get you, Seaworth.”

  ship drew near. Already the machinery beside

  “You mean that he’d even try to take

  the ascension-framework was ready to move

  an Earth-Guard rocket?”

  into it the next rocket to start, a great

  “Yes, but it’s just an idea. We’ll keep a

  passenger-craft into which hundreds of

  mighty sharp lookout fo
r him, and whatever

  passengers were hastening, crowds of friends

  else the Hawk may have done, I think he’s too

  waving them bon voyage. Few in the station

  wary a bird to try tackling Earth-Guard were paying any attention to the routine rockets.”

  departure of the Earth-Guard’s craft.

  They were interrupted by a thunderous

  The lights on the starter’s tower had

  blast of firing-tubes as a battered cargo ship of

  flashed from yellow to green, and then to red.

  the tramp class, a quarter of its tubes out of

  Calden was watching them imperturbably, his

  commission, hurtled upward from the great

  hands resting on the main firing-levers, while

  ascension-framework. At once the huge Evans, as always at the moment of starting, machinery beside it that held the Earth-Guard

  involuntarily drew a deep preparatory breath.

  rocket was sliding it smoothly into the Then the lights flashed suddenly pure white, ascension-framework to go out also. The Calden’s hands depressed the levers with a warning-bell was jangling again and Calden

  single motion, and, as a thunderous blast of

  and Hartley came up to the two men.

  sound broke from the great rocket’s stern

  “All ready,” Calden reported, saluting.

  beneath them, they were pressed with

  “The starter’s given us 9.40—that’s eight immeasurable force into their seats.

  minutes from now.”

  Evans nodded. “Time to go, THE sunlit station had vanished in a flash Seaworth,” and they strode toward the stern-from around them, and there was a dizzy

  door of the big, upreared craft.

  lurching and trembling of the great mass as it

  “I see you’ve still got my little ship

  shot upward and outward. From outside came